Cuba scraps language in new constitution that could have legalised same-sex marriage

The government revealed they plan to hold a referendum on same-sex marriage within two years

2018-12-19

Words: Steve Brown

Cuba has decided to leave out changes in their new constitution that could have legalised same-sex marriages.

Last summer, more than 600 legislators approved a draft of the new constitution changing the language that didn’t specify the gender of individuals getting married and instead described it as “a consensual union between two people”.

However, on Tuesday (December 18), Cuba’s National Assembly decided to drop the issue after a poll of people in community meetings said they were against same-sex marriage, the New York Times reported.

The current constitution – which was written in 1976 – defines marriage as “the voluntary established union between a man and a woman”.

The final version of the proposed constitution must pass through a popular vote next year but the Government officials said they plan to hold a separate referendum on same-sex marriage within the next two years.